No. 11 Clemson seeks its seventh consecutive win this when it faces Louisville at home on Saturday. However, coach Dabo Swinney expects the Tigers’ Atlantic Coast Conference rival to be a tough test.
The Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 ACC) travel to upstate South Carolina after an emotional 31-27 comeback victory at Boston College on Friday. Louisville trailed 20-0 with 6:30 remaining in the first half but posted the fourth-greatest comeback in team history.
Saturday’s game features a clash of high-powered offenses, with the Tigers second in the ACC, gaining 490.4 yards a game. The Cardinals stand just behind them at 460.
Each of Louisville’s losses has been by seven points and against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.
“They’ve been in some very, very competitive games,” Swinney told reporters on Tuesday. “They can score points on anybody (and) really do a great job putting a lot of pressure upon you offensively. … To me, this is certainly the most complete and best offense we’ve seen since Georgia.”
Quarterback Tyler Shough leads the Louisville offense. The seventh-year senior, who transferred from Texas Tech after last season, has dealt with injuries throughout his career, but he has been healthy this season. He ranks third in the conference and ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 2,348 yards in eight games. He has thrown for more than 300 yards four times, including 332 on 28-of-38 passing in Friday’s win.
Shough’s favorite target has been Ja’Corey Brooks. A senior transfer from Alabama, Brooks leads the ACC with 799 reception yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, Isaac Brown earned his second ACC Rookie of the Week award after tallying 85 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries on Friday. He’s the second-best true freshman rusher in program history, with his 649 yards, just 311 behind NFL superstar Lamar Jackson.
The Tigers, after losing to then-No. 1 Georgia 34-3 in the opening weekend, have scored 29 or more points in every game since and 40 or more in five of the six.
“We’re getting them while they’re hot, so we’ll get their best shot,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said on Monday.
The Tigers (6-1, 5-0) come off their second and final bye week during the regular season. On Oct. 19, Clemson beat visiting Virginia 48-31, with quarterback Cade Klubnik completing 23-of-35 passes for 308 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Running back Phil Mafah added 78 yards and two more scores on 18 carries.
Klubnik has completed two-thirds of his 219 passes for 1,836 yards with 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also spread the ball around; five players have at least 223 receiving yards.
Mafah leads the Tigers with 682 yards and six scores on the ground.
Louisville seeks its first victory against the Tigers. The two teams have played eight times since the Cardinals joined the ACC nine years ago, with four of the losses by six or fewer points.
–Field Level Media